Photos & Review: Turnstile and Boy Harsher at The Observatory Santa Ana

Sunday night was quite the musical treat, gifting us performances by Terror, Boy Harsher, and Turnstile at The Observatory Festival Ground in Santa Ana. The same location where Grimy Goods first covered Turnstile back in 2017 at the inaugural When We Were Young festival. I think people coming to see Turnstile at this point in their wildly successful career are definitely given a different experience than those who have seen them before the blow up.

Turnstile at The Observatory by Lilly Duran

In my opinion, Turnstile’s last two albums, including their GRAMMY-winning album, Never Enough, have been a mix of their hardcore roots with more pop elements, inviting everyone to enjoy the genre and find something they love. In doing this, they have built a wildly supportive and inclusive community of fans, and through that have continued to share the sentiment that hardcore is more than just the music.

Before heading to the show, I asked my friends who have never seen Turnstile before what they were most excited about. They both agreed they were excited to hear “Never Enough,” a song that holds a lot of emotional weight in their life. They also said they were excited to see the community in action, and be a part of something like that.

Turnstile fans at The Observatory by Lilly Duran

Unfortunately, our night started after Terror’s set due to complications at press check-in and getting in with my photo pass. Because of this, I was sadly not able to cover their set. This was a total bummer since the last time Grimy Goods covered Terror’s live show was with Suicidal Tendencies and Trash Talk at the Fonda Theatre in 2013. The delay took so long I barely made it in time for Boy Harsher!

From the faint sounds I could hear, while waiting to get my photo pass sorted, it sounded like Terror delivered a gloriously wild set, as per usual.

Boy Harsher at The Observatory by Lilly Duran

Boy Harsher was quite a thrilling performance and quite a different sound from the bands they were tucked inbetween. Their whole set felt so sexy, sultry, dark, and haunting. It was the perfect performance to experience on a warm (hot) October night.

There are so many adjectives I could continue using to try to describe how Boy Harsher’s set felt. It was mesmerizing, and everyone swayed along to their darkwave electronic sounds. Singer Jae Matthews had the crowd under her spell, especially when she let out that banshee-like howl during “Break Me” off their major-label debut, GET MEAN.

The crowd was beaming with anticipation for Turnstile after Boy Harsher wrapped their magnetic set. Once the lights dimmed, the crowd was screaming louder than I have heard in a long time. You could feel the ground start to shake a bit as everyone began jumping and dancing immediately as they opened with “Birds.” Even I was dancing and singing as I photographed their set.

Turnstile’s energy was so high and commanding. They are a force that demands that you to move and feel. It was nice to experience this new, lengthy set, considering the last time I covered them at No Values in Las Vegas, they blew through 12 songs, cutting their set short by about 15 minutes.

Once the photo pit closed, I checked my camera bag, and I was back with my friends, and it was go time. Standing off to the side, I assumed we’d just jump around and enjoy. Lucky for us, a small circle pit opened up, and we jumped right in. My best friend and I held hands as we skipped around in circles with everyone (we looked silly, but who cares). I’ve always felt safe diving in at Turnstile shows, trusting the people around me will pick me up if anything happens.

Another part of Turnstile’s shows that I appreciate so deeply is seeing how much they genuinely love their fanbase, and how well they make it known at each show. Their tour content often features interviews with concertgoers, allowing them to express what Turnstile means to them.

Turnstile’s set at The Observatory Festival Grounds was a big chunk of their newest album Never Enough, with some classics mixed in as well. There wasn’t a dull moment; there wasn’t a lapse in energy from the crowd nor the band, and everyone left with a huge, sweaty smile on their faces.

Photography & Words: Lilly Duran